|
SB SPACE @ ARL
$ARLS001
ARLS001 Hams
Needed to
Track NASA
Moon Mission
ZCZC AS01
QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin
001 ARLS001
From ARRL
Headquarters
Newington, CT
September 29,
2025
To all radio
amateurs
SB SPACE ARL
ARLS001
ARLS001 Hams
Needed to
Track NASA
Moon Mission
The National
Aeronautics
and Space
Administration
(NASA) is
seeking
volunteers to
passively
track the 2026
Artemis II
Orion
spacecraft as
the crewed
mission
travels to the
Moon and back
to Earth.
The story on
the 2026
Artemis II
Orion project
can be found
online at www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii.
The Artemis II
test flight
will send NASA
astronauts
Reid Wiseman,
KF5LKT; Victor
Glover,
KI5BKC; and
Christina
Koch, along
with Canadian
Space Agency
(CSA)
astronaut
Jeremy Hansen,
KF5LKU, on an
approximately
10-day mission
around the
Moon.
Targeted for
no later than
April 2026,
the mission
will rely on
NASA's Near
Space Network
and Deep Space
Network for
primary
communications
and tracking
support
throughout its
launch, orbit,
and reentry.
However, with
a growing
focus on
commercialization,
NASA wants to
further
understand
industry's
tracking
capabilities.
This
collaboration
opportunity
builds upon a
previous
request
released by
NASA's Space
Communication
and Navigation
Program (SCaN)
during the
Artemis I
mission in
2022. Ten
volunteers
successfully
tracked the
uncrewed Orion
spacecraft on
its journey
thousands of
miles beyond
the Moon and
back.
One of those
volunteers
tracking in
2022 was Scott
Chapman,
K4KDR, of
Montpelier,
Virginia.
"Sometimes
it's what you
don't know
that makes
this kind
activity
interesting,"
said Chapman.
"All I had was
a small S-band
dish and
receiver, and
wasn't sure
what I could
or couldn't
hear...but
when I started
hearing the
signals...it
made
everything
worth it."
Chapman said
he felt good
about the
whole process
and, while it
was
interesting,
it was also a
lot of fun!
There were
also other
participants
during the
Artemis I
mission,
including
international
space
agencies,
academic
institutions,
commercial
companies,
nonprofits,
and private
citizens who
were also
attempting to
receive
Orion's
signals.
Chapman added
that NASA is
also looking
for commercial
partnerships
to share in
the process.
If you're
interested in
volunteering
for next
year's event,
all of the
information
can be found
at SAM.gov.
The response
deadline is
October 27,
2025, at 5:00
PM EDT.
NNNN
/EX
|
